Electrical assembly



Jan. 17, 1961 w. c. WOOTTON 2,968,786

ELECTRICAL ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 5, 195'? 4 I WILUAM QWOOTTON,

United etates Patent ELECTRICAL ASSEMBLY William C. Wootton, Fremont, 'Calii'l, assignor to United- Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 5, 1957, Ser. No. 700,817

1 Claim. (Cl. 339209) This invention relates generally to an electrical assembly and has particular reference to a tube connector assembly to provide external electrical connections to electronic tubes.

In high voltage radio or electronic circuits, it is necessary to provide a connector to the end of a wire leading to the grid or plate terminal of a high voltage vacuum tube.

The object of the invention is to provide an electronic tube contact of improved construction especially suited to a wide range of tolerances in the tube contact diameter.

A further object of this invention is to provide an insulated connector assembly which permits installation and renewal during current flow.

Other objects of this invention will, in part, be obvious, and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective partly in section showing the connector superposed above the tube connection;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the connection assembled with the tube contact;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the connector.

Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated a tube connector 10, comprising a resilient contact element 12 adapted to be enclosed within an insulating shell 14, with an external lead wire 15 attached thereto.

The contact element 12 may be formed from any suitable resilient conducting material such as sheet metal and is bent to an isoceles triangular form having the end portions 16 and 18 overlapping to provide a base 20. The base 20 has an aperture 22 formed therein to receive a lead wire 15 which is retained by any suitable means such as soldering 24. The side portions 26 and 27 of the triangular element 12 are deformed inwardly to define axial continuations of a substantially cylindrical aperture 28.

The insulating shell 14 may be molded from any suitable insulating material such as nylon, into a general rectangular shape having a triangular hollow interior 30 adapted to receive therein the contact element 12. A guide portion 32 having an aperture 34 formed therethrough is molded integral with the shell 14 extending downwardly from the lower surface 34 and disposed subice stantially along the midline. A lead receiving aperture 35 is provided in one end of the shell to register laterally with the aperture 22 of the base 20.

To assemble the device, the resilient contact element 12 is inserted within the hollow interior 30 of the insulating shell 14 in such a manner that angular portions 36, 38 and 40 bear against the inner wall 42 of the shell 14. The lead wire 15 is inserted through the outer shell aperture 35 and the contact aperture 22 and retained by solder means 24. To completely enclose the contact element within the shell, a nylon cap 43 is attached to the top surface.

Referring to Fig. l, the tube connector 10 is illustrated in a superposed portion above a prong 44 of a vacuum tube 46. To make the necessaryconnection from the grid prong '44 to an external source by means of lead wire 15, the tube connector 10 is slipped over the prong 44 with the apertured guide 32 axially aligning the aperture 28 of the contact element 12 and by a firm downward motion the prong 44 enters into snap engagement with the aperture 28 and firmly retains it in position.

Due to the resilient characteristics of the contact element, it will thus be seen that the aperture 28 can be adapted to accommodate a wide range of tolerances in the prong diameter.

Since certain other obvious modifications may be made in this device without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matters contained herein be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

A connector assembly comprising, in combination, a body shell of insulating material in the :form of an open faced hollow box and a cap closing the open face of said box, a strip of yieldable conductive material in the shape of a generally closed triangle providing a female contact located within said shell and held in place by said cap, said contact having overlapping ends at one end of the triangle with an aligned aperture in each of said ends, an aperture in said shell in alignment with said aligned apertures of said overlapping ends to permit passage of a conductor Wire into engagement in said aligned aperture, a conductor wire passing through said aperture in said shell and engaged in said aligned apertures in said overlapping ends of opposed portions of said strip, said contact having parti-cylindrical walls therein intermediate the ends of the female contact and a second aperture in said shell for passage of a male contact prong into engagement with said. Patti-cylindrical portions of said female contact.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 286,963 Reed Oct. 16, 1883 2,269,122 Mitchell Jan. 6, 1942 2,315,823 Smith Apr. 6, 1943 2,728,060 Doeg Dec. 20, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 408,301 Great Britain Apr. 9, 1934 

